A small group of living history re-enactors are on a 700-mile march, stopping in each community along the way from Providence to Yorktown with a gift – 1781. Sunday they will travel from East Hartford to Farmington, where they’ll set up camp for the evening.

The Marchers recreate the journey of French troops, who joined the Continental Army to overthrow British troops in Yorktown, VA, in what was a crucial factor in the War for Independence, organizer Damon Rodnac from the group’s camp at Stanley-Whitman House said Saturday.

“There’s no question the Continental Army couldn’t have done this on their own,” Rodnac said. “Major historians see this as the real turning point for independence.”

And as the significance of the French contribution to American independence has not always been clearly recognized, neither has the impact the army had on local communities been widely understood.

That is changing, thanks to The Marchers’ efforts. It began with three men, David Holloway, Michael Fitzgerald, and Dave Fagerberg, who marched every step of the 700-mile route themselves in 2006, gaining publicity and spreading awareness as they went. 

But they didn’t stop in Yorktown. From there, with members of Washington Rochambeau Revolutionary Route state chapters, the group went to Washington, D.C. to lobby for the route to gain National Historic Trail status. In 2009, President Obama signed the act, recognizing the trail and bringing it under the National Park Service protection.

Celebrating the recognition is one of the reasons for this year’s march. Another is helping local communities celebrate their place in history. When French Army Lt. Gen. Jean-Baptiste, Count of Rochambeau, led 10,000 troops through communities of just a few hundred people, Rodnac said, there was a tremendous impact – usually good.

The third purpose of the march is to recruit a new generation of stewards for the trail and for the story. Joining organizers on the march are teams of AmeriCorps National Civilian Community Corps volunteers, 18 to 24 years old. The groups will also speak to children and young people along the way, in hopes of sparking a passion for history.

“We very specifically involve young adults and those we encounter to recruit them into enjoying history and becoming the next stewards. This age group is the generation to do it,” Rodnac said, noting that those who will organize the 250^th anniversary celebration are already alive.

“Historical re-enactors are passionate about living history. First person reenactment is not just talking about history but letting everyone see history,” she said. And of the young people who’ve joined the march, she said, “we’re trying to give them the experience of being a soldier in 1781.”

That includes wearing the “small clothes” a French soldier would have worn: wescott, breeches, socks and a tricorn. It means unplugging from modern conveniences, as well as long, uneventful hours of walking and, at the end of the day, sleeping in a canvas tent.

Sunday, the group will break camp and begin walking from East Hartford to Post Office Square in Farmington, mostly following Route 4. They are expected to arrive between 2-2:30 p.m. before heading to the Stanley-Whitman House, where they will be happy to speak to community members about the march and living as a soldier in 1781.

From Farmington, The Marchers head to Southington. You can follow their progress and find out where to join them at facebook.com/themarchers.

Their work aims to help communities connect with their historical past, develop local appreciation for each community’s role and develop tourism around that. They are supported by the Living History Education Foundation, a non-profit, and financial support is needed to complete the event. For more information, click here.